CONTENT MANAGEMENT DEMYSTIFIED

Introduction

• The opportunity for substantial enterprise cost savings and the involvement of the world?s largest software players suggest that the recent sharp growth in the content management technology market will not be hampered by the bursting of the dot-com bubble.
• The term ?content management? is used fluidly. It can refer to the management of a media organisation?s entire content assets, or simply to the content systems which relate to a web site.

Business benefits

• Content management systems can offer substantial business benefits for content providers, including faster product cycle times and reduced labour costs on complex projects.
• Content providers have until recently been slow to implement content management systems: investment in content management can be hard to justify as the benefits are often only seen in the long term.
• Some organisations have built up a content management system piece by piece, with each stage judged on its own ROI, while others have looked to their production suppliers and technology players to provide solutions which meet their needs.

Who needs content management?

• Database-oriented content and products with multiple authors, multiple editions or multiple delivery options will be dramatically enhanced by a content management solution.

Issues to consider

• Whether to opt for a home grown solution or purchase an off-the-shelf package;
• How much of a company?s workflow a content management system should cover;
• How small the smallest grain of content should be.

Conclusions

• Despite outstanding issues, content management methods and technology are rapidly maturing. There have been a number of success stories, and technology players are becoming far more skilled at forming productive partnerships with content providers.